The Science of Mindfulness at Work

The Science of
Mindfulness at Work
1440 Mindful Workplace Summit 2018
PARNEET PAL, MBBS, MS
CHIEF SCIENCE OFFICER

Neuroplasticity
The lifelong capacity of the brain to create new connections and cells in response to our
behaviors and environment
image: glass brain flythrough. www.neuroscapelab.com

Attention
Positive Emotions
Learning
Memory
Emotional Balance
Perspective
Taking
Stress Response
Compassion
Empathy
Decision Making

Mindfulness: beyond the hype
22% of US workforce (2016)
6,000 research studies

Today:
 What is mindfulness
 How mindfulness changes the brain & body
 Why mindfulness (the business case)
 performance
 wellbeing

The cost of stress

40% decrease in productivity1/3 more errors 2x as long to finish
American Psychological Association
Consequences of a distracted mind

The challenge
“Always-on, multi-tasking
work environments are
killing productivity,
dampening creativity and
making us unhappy”
McKinsey Quarterly

*Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/overview/
**Ford ES, Bergmann MM, Kroger J, Schienkiewitz A, Weikert C, Boeing H. Healthy living is the best revenge: findings from the European Prospective
Investigation Into Cancer and Nutrition-Potsdam study. Arch intern Med. 2009 Aug 10;169(15):1355-62..
Lifestyle-related chronic disease
(obesity, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, hypertension, mood disorders, etc.)

Can we create a new way of being at work?

15
WISDOM LABS HAS WORKED WITH:

“An open and receptive, non-judgmental awareness
of your present-moment experience.”
David Creswell,
Director of Health and Human Performance Lab,
Carnegie Mellon University
“being with what is”

What does “being mindful” look like in real life?
1. Pay attention (with intention, kindness & curiosity)
2. Respond skillfully

Mindfulness: as a way of being

How mindfulness changes the
brain & body

ATTENTION
Calm
Focus
Creativity
EMOTIONAL
INTELLIGENCE
Self-regulation
Communication
PRO-SOCIALITY
Connection
MINDFULNESS
Vago DR, Silbersweig DA. Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological
mechanisms of mindfulness. Front Hum Neurosci. 2012; 6:296.

1 Minute Game

Mind wandering
Killingsworth MA et al. A wandering mind is an unhappy mind. Science. 2010. Nov 12; 330 (6006).

Default mode network
Narrative SELF
Ruminative mind wandering
Distracted
Anxious
Direct attention network
Experiential SELF
In the present moment
Alert; open to insights
Happier
Vago DR, Silbersweig DA. Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological
mechanisms of mindfulness. Front Hum Neurosci. 2012; 6:296.

Amygdala
(emotional brain)
Pre-frontal cortex
(thinking brain)

Anterior Cingulate Cortex:
Purposefully direct attention and
behavior, suppress inappropriate knee-
jerk responses and switch strategies
flexibly
Learning from past experience to
support optimal decision making
Hippocampus: memory, stress resilience
Fox et al. Is meditation associated with altered brain structure? A systematic review and meta-analysis of morphometric neuroimaging in meditation
practitioners. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2014 Jun;43:48-73.
Neuroplastic changes enabling wiser leadership

Emotional intelligence networks

Threat
(perceived)
Emotional
Memory Center
Triggered
RESPOND
Thinking Brain
PAUS
E

Response flexibility
….is the ability to pause, step back, reflect, shift
perspectives, create options and choose wisely.
Linda Graham

Empathy
putting ourselves in someone
else’s shoes

Outcomes of empathy
.
Empathy
Emotional
Distress
(overwhelm,
over-arousal,
avoidance)
Burnout
Empathy
Compassion
(warmth, caring,
love,
connection)
Resilience

Compassion
Ability to recognize suffering along with the desire to
alleviate the suffering

It’s good for your BODY
Goetz J, Keltner D, Simon-Thomas E. 2010. Compassion: An evolutionary and empirical review. Psychol Bull. 2010 May; 136(3):351-374

Helping others helps us the most
Happier;
Satisfied
with Life
Better Social
Connections
Live Longer

How much mindfulness practice is enough?
Beginners ( up to 100 hrs of practice)
Long term practitioners (1000-10,000 hrs)
Olympic level practitioners (12,000-62,000 hrs; intensive retreats)
Goleman & Davidson: Altered Traits

Why Mindfulness?
(the business case)

The Aetna mindfulness program outcomes
Source: https://hbr.org/2015/12/the-busier-you-are-the-more-you-need-mindfulness
stress levels dropped reported sleep quality improved pain levels dropped
per-employee increase in productivity each year

Measurement: Wisdom Labs outcome and efficacy metrics
Statistical analyses revealed that the difference between the mean pre and post scores on both scales were statistically significant
at a p <. 01 level.

reduced inflammation; improved immunity
increased flourishing; better social connection + mindfulness
CTRAgeneexpression
(proinflammatory–interferon–antibody)
Baseline Follow-up -0.5
-0.4
-0.3
-0.2
-0.1
0.0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
ChangeinCTRAgene…
Individual
change
(8 paired)
Difference from 0 change:
Raw (log2) metric: p = .04
Z metric: p = .07
Results: Wisdom Labs gene expression pilot study
44

Daren J. Good, et al. 2016 Contemplating Mindfulness at Work. An Integrative Review. Journal of Management. Vol. 42, Issue 1.

Why Mindfulness
Performance and Relationships

Mindful leadership increases engagement:
climate of safety, voice and trust
Source: Daren J. Good, et al. 2016 Contemplating Mindfulness at Work. An Integrative Review. Journal of Management. Vol. 42, Issue 1.
Mindful leaders are:
other-focused rather than
self-focused
pay attention,
are nonjudgmental
emotionally resilient,
open to new ideas

Mindful leadership
Trait mindfulness in leaders positively correlated with employee:
Source: Daren J. Good, et al. 2016 Contemplating Mindfulness at Work. An Integrative Review. Journal of Management. Vol. 42, Issue 1.
Work-life Balance Job Satisfaction Citizenship Behaviors Job Performance
Negatively correlated with employee
Employee Exhaustion
and Deviance

Compassion at work is a strategic business move
Helps acquire and retain talent1
Decreases costly disengagement2
Source: Monica Worline: Compassion Revealed: The Handbook of Positive Organizational Scholarship
Increased collaborative capacity3
Increased service quality4
Increased innovation5

Behavior change is hard
Lifestyle behavior change
(eat, move, sleep, stress)

52
Mindful individuals more likely to engage
in healthy behaviors*
*Yoona Kang, Matthew Brook O’Donnell, Victor J. Strecher, Emily B. Falk. Dispositional Mindfulness Predicts Adaptive Affective Responses to
Health Messages and Increased Exercise Motivation. Mindfulness, 2016
Mindfulness enables behavior change

53
Disrupts habit loop in brain*
*Judson Brewer and Lori Pbert. Mindfulness: An Emerging Treatment for Smoking and Other Addictions. Journal of Family
Medicine. Volume 2, Issue 4. 2015.
Mindfulness enables behavior change

Mindfulness: foundation for culture change

Free download:
Mindfulness Toolkit
wisdomlabs.com/toolkit

57
Wisdom Labs Multi-Modal Mindfulness
Learning Architecture

Practice
Mindful Moment
Check-in

The Science of Mindfulness at Work

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